Improvement in brick-kilns



J, BLAISIUS.

Bric'k -Kiln.

No; 134,124. Patented Dec. 24, 1872.

AM. PHNOUTHOGRAPHIC CQMKMSEDRNE3 PRUCESS.)

UNITED STATES PATENT IMPROVEMENT IN ERICK-KILN$.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 134,124fi, dated December 24, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAC UES BLAISIUS, a citizen of France, domiciled and residing in the city of Washington, in the county of Washington and District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Making and Burning of Bricks and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

The first part of my invention relates to the making of bricks; and consists in mixing a small quantity of pulverized coal with the clay, and molding the bricks'therefrom. To carry this part of my invention into effect I take fine coal-slack, such as may be obtained from the coal yards or mines, and separate the coarser from the finer particles by screenin g so that the finer product will be about equal in fineness to common river-sand. I thoroughly mix this fine coal-dust with the clay in the proportion of about one part of coal-dust to ten parts of clay, and mold the bricks from the compound substance so formed. The object of this part of my invention is to secure a more uniform burning of the bricks through and through than when made and burned in the ordinary way. The second part of my invention relates exclusively to the burning of the bricks; and it consists in interspersing through the kiln coal-slack or pulverized coal, sufficient to burn the bricks to a proper degree of hardness without the use of anyother fuel except a little kindling-wood to start the fire.

When the finer particles are screened out of ordinary coal-slack, as above described, the residue will be about equal in fineness to very fine gravel, and will be suitable for introducing into the kiln to burn the bricks.

The accompanying drawing (which represents a vertical cross-section of the kiln) shows the manner in which I construct the kiln and intersperse the pulverized coal.

A is a solid permanent foundation or base on which the kiln is built. It may be made of bricks, or bricks and earth combined, and should be about sixteen or eighteen inches high. Through this solid base a suitable number of flues, a a, are constructed, varying in number. according to the size of the kiln. I prefer to place them about four feet apart, and to make them ten or twelve inches deep by from six to eight inches in width. These lines are covered by bricks b I) set on edge,

with narrow spaces between them, and with their upper edges flush with the upper surface or floor of the base A. Upon said foundation or base A I set a layer of bricks on their edges, as close together as convenient to set them without taking pains to crowd them, and on the top of this layer of bricks I spread a thin layer of slack or pulverized coal, so as barely to cover the bricks, and form alayer of about one-eighth of an inch in depth. Some of the finer particles will, of course, 'work down between the bricks. Then I set another layer of bricks, in the same manner as before, upon said layer of coal, and so on to the top of the kiln, covering every course of bricks with a layer of fine coal, as described above. In the drawing, the thin layers of coal between the courses of bricks are represented by heavy black lines o c. The whole kiln is inclosed by a four-inch brick-wall, B, which it will be most convenient to carry up as the'kiln is built. The lines a a are to be filled with dry kindlingwood, and when the kiln is completed fire is to be set to the wood in all the fines, which will soon ignite the coal, and no further at tention will be required till the burning is completed. The coal will usually be consumed and the bricks thoroughly burned and ready for use in from six to ten days.

BythismethodIam enabledtoburnthebricks much more uniformly than by any other method or means heretofore practiced, and at a greatly reduced expense. The bricks burn a beautiful red, with a much less proportion of salmon and over-burned bricks than when burned by wood in the usual way.

In practicing my invention I have thus far used anthracite coal only; but I believe bituminous coal will answer the purpose equally well.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

The method of making and burning bricks, herein described, consisting, first, in mixing with the clay from which the bricks are molded finely-pulverized coal 5 and, secondly, in burning the bricks by means of fine coal interspersed throughout the kiln, substantially as herein set forth.

JACQUES BLAISIUS.

Witnesses:

I. L. OooMBs, OH. F. DEEHL. 

